Quick Trip: Get away to the Whaling City

Wednesday

Jun 25, 2014 at 12:50 PMJun 25, 2014 at 12:51 PM

By Chris BergeronDaily News staff

NEW BEDFORD: Nicknamed "the Whaling City,’’ this celebrated port city on Buzzards Bay offers maritime history with beaches and boating, arts and fun galore. Sample international cuisine from Portugal, Cape Verde, Thailand and more, or enjoy any of seven museums, varied music, theater and great galleries for every taste.DON’T MISS: The 173-year-old Charles W. Morgan, the nation’s second oldest vessel after the USS Constitution and sole survivor of America’s once-great fleet of wind-powered whalers, will dock at the waterfront June 28 through July 6. It was first launched in New Bedford in 1841, and has been docked at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut since 1941. During its stay, tours of the waterfront will be available with related activities.GET FESTIVE: After 4th of July fireworks at 9 p.m. over the harbor, the city kicks off the two-day New Bedford Folk Festival on Saturday and Sunday, July 5 and 6, with 70 performers, 90 juried vendors and continual music from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on seven sound stages in and around New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. Visit: www.newbedfordfolkfestival.com.There’s a feast of festivals this summer, including:n Saturday, July 5: The 42nd Cape Verdean Recognition Parade and Carnival. Call 508-863-7463 or visit www.cvrcinc.org.n Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6: The New Bedford Folk Festival heats up with performances on seven stages and five intimate sites and concerts by John Gorka, Christine Lavin and Don White and more. Call 508-991-3122 x112 or visit. www.newbedfordfolkfestival.comn July 31-Aug. 4: To explore one of the city’s great cultures, visit the 100th anniversary of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, the biggest Portuguese feast in the world. Visit www.portuguesefeast.com.n Sept. 27-28: The Working Waterfront Festival celebrates the community's commercial fishing industry. The free family event will have industry skills demos, fishing vessel tours, live music, author readings, food, a farmers market, seafood throwdown, health screenings and more. Visit www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.PRIME DESTINATION: Established by Congress in 1996, the 13-block New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, at 33 Williams St., next to the waterfront, includes a Visitors Center to help you plan your day. The 36-acre National Park includes a 28-room Greek Revival mansion, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum at 396 Country St. Also check out the Seamen’s Bethel and Mariner’s Home featured in the movie "Moby Dick’’ and the 120-year-old Schooner Ernestina at 10 State Pier. Call 508-996-4095 or visit www.nps.gov/nebe.CALL ME ORCA: No visit would be complete without stopping in the world famous New Bedford Whaling Museum, which tells the global story of the mariners who put to sea hunting the leviathans through 300,000 objects, the, Lagoda, world’s largest ship model, and five complete whale skeletons. A new exhibit, “Yankee Baleeiros! The Shared Legacies of Luso and Yankee Whalers” celebrates the interwoven Luso-American stories of the Azorean, Cape Verdean and Brazilian communities in the United States from early immigration in the 18th century through the latter half of the 20th century. Located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill; Visit www.whalingmuseum.org.MORE INFO: Visit www.newbedford-ma.gov, www.destinationnewbedford.org